Eco-Friendly in California

Hello my lovely readers! Having a restful Saturday? Good. Let's go over to California today, shall we?<br /><br />Alison and Laura Forbes are the owners of The Art of Everyday Living company. Together they renovated and decorated Laura's home in Santa Monica, California. Their aim was to create a healthy, eco-friendly environment for the family and especially for Laura's sons who were babies at the time. They used unfinished furnishings, untreated wool rugs, natural latex rug pads, organic-fill sofas, cotton slipcovers, linen draperies, hemp pillows, and mineral-based lime paint.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_12.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_12.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 751px;" /></a><br />Alison Forbes Houlihan with nephew James, left, and homeowner Laura Forbes Carlin with baby Matthew. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_4.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_4.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 399px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_7.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_7.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 899px;" /></a><br />Throughout the house, sustainably harvested white-oak hardwood floors were installed and sealed with a low-VOC, nontoxic sealer. Traditional dining room chairs are made of reclaimed wood and water-based glue.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_6.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_6.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 899px;" /></a><br />Elegant linen draperies on weathered rods are used throughout the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_5.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_5.jpg" style="width: 598px; height: 896px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_10.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_10.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 901px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_9.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_9.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 399px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_3.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_3.jpg" style="width: 595px; height: 892px;" /></a><br />Five year old, James at his art table.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_11.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_11.jpg" style="width: 597px; height: 895px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_2.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_2.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 899px;" /></a><br />Little Matthew in the playroom.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-houselg_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.traditionalhome.com/images/img_carlin-house_1.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 899px;" /></a><br /><br />Hope to see you here tomorrow!<br /><br />Photographs by Edmund Barr<br />All images and information from <a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/">here</a>.

Eco-Friendly in California

Hello my lovely readers! Having a restful Saturday? Good. Let's go over to California today, shall we? Alison and Laura Forbes are the o...

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Interior Designer Myra Hoefer

Today we are going to tour a large California home decorated by Myra Hoefer using a monochromatic palette and a mix of casual modern and French style.<span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"> Winter White by Benjamin Moore was used throughout the house for the walls and ceilings.</span><br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/0v/hbx-french-modern-windows-0411-hoefer01-lgn.jpg" style="width: 670px; height: 450px;" /><br />At one end of the huge living room a slipcovered <span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">13-foot sofa follows the curves of the bay window. The antique claw-foot coffee table an</span>d <span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">the pedestals for the vintage French torchères were lacquered in white to match.<br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/8U/hbx-french-modern-living-room-0411-hoefer02-lgn.jpg" style="width: 670px; height: 450px;" /><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">This is the main seating area marked by an extra large rustic jute rug. Fluffy white pillows on slipcovered sofas and French armchairs surround two Pipa cocktail tables. </span></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">The butterflies on the walls are an art piece made from salvaged beer cans, by Paul Villinski.</span><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/3r/hbx-french-modern-fireplace-0411-hoefer03-lgn.jpg" /><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">The Louis XV—style bergères are new, not old, and were made in France. On the fireplace, faced in plaster mixed with marble dust, stand two antique candelabra. The sculpture is by Dan Corbin.<br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/70/hbx-french-modern-diningroom-0411-hoefer05-lgn.jpg" /><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">In one of the dining room a mixture of old and new with m</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">olded white plastic chairs and a 10-foot-long antique table, "narrow enough so you can really converse," Hoefer says.<br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/ex/hbx-modern-california-kitchen-0411-hoefer06-lgn.jpg" /><br /></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">Both the Vassaro chandelier and the metal hood remind Hoefer of a classic French mansard roof. She designed the A la Reine stools with goat's feet.<br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/C6/hbx-california-modern-room-0411-hoefer07-lgn.jpg" style="width: 671px; height: 451px;" /><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><br /></span></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">In this view of the great room, the entry foyer is on the left, the dining area is on the right, and the living area is behind you. On the left, a three-legged farm table is topped with a huge clay pot that Hoefer had glazed in white. Over the dining table hangs a</span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"> Cassiopeia chandelier.</span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"> Ajax side chairs are pulled up to the Hollandaise table by Astier de Villate, who also makes the armoire. An 18th-century French bombé chest and a gilded antique barometer complete the look.</span><br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/Va/hbx-modern-california-bathroom-dog-0411-hoefer08-lgn.jpg" /><br /><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">Carrara marble in the master bathroom. A Pipa chandelier brings back the filigree motif. The fabric on the Roman shades is dotted with sequins that catch the light.<br /><br /><img class="content_sec_fb_large_img" src="http://www.housebeautiful.com/cm/housebeautiful/images/qs/hbx-modern-california-bedroom-0411-hoefer09-lgn.jpg" /><br /></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span">Four poster bed and shades of cream in the master bedroom. The ottoman is covered in white hide.<br /><br />All images and information from <a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/">here</a>.<br /></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"><br /></span><span class="fb_frame_side_right_span"></span></span></span></span>

Interior Designer Myra Hoefer

Today we are going to tour a large California home decorated by Myra Hoefer using a monochromatic palette and a mix of casual modern and Fre...

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Celebrity Home: Sheryl Crow

One of my favourite design magazines, Architectural Digest, featured Sheryl Crow's home in this month's issue.<br /><br />After not seeing eye to eye with the decorator she had appointed, she decided to go solo and, little by little, guided by intuition she began to fill the rooms herself, taking an unconventional, personal approach to interior design.<br /><br />Set in Hollywood, there are three homes on her 11-acre property. Sheryl lives with her two sons in the main building which ia a 1926 Spanish Colonial hacienda. Then there's a 1909 Craftsman bungalow; and a 19th-century cottage, used as guesthouses for friends, relatives, and members of her band.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><img alt="" class="featureimg" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/01_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Sheryl by her infinity pool. Gorgeous Hollywood views.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/15_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />The entrance to the main house.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/16_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />The beautiful Spanish tile in this stairway is original to the house; the vintage dressmaker’s forms come from the Venice, California, boutique Obsolete.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/02_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />In the living room, a 19th-century American “boneshaker” bicycle hangs above the fireplace.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/03_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A Ginebra sectional sofa and vintage cocktail table and the sea-grass rug in the living room. Ron Pippin’s trophylike 2007 sculpture <em>Deer with Copper Horns</em> is displayed on a wall.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/17_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A recamier in the corner of the living room. She bought the small Fred Stonehouse paintings at a gallery in New Orleans.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/04_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Terra-cotta floors and subway tiles in the kitchen.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/05_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A cabinet stocked with small finds. (Those skulls are rather creepy!)<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/06_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />The library’s club chairs are from a Paris flea market. <div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/07_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Crow with her Yamaha baby grand.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/08_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A 1930s light fixture hangs above the antique dining room table, once used in a linen factory.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/09_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />In a small music room, a Bedford desk and Kilim benches. The guitar is a 2008 reissued Gibson Les Paul.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/14_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />The master bath’s 1920s pedestal sink and black tilework are original to the house. A Persian carpet covers the floor.<br /></div><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/13_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A masculine Spanish look for the master bedroom.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/20_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Sheryl found the 3-D picture viewer and sculpted hand at an antiques store in Hudson, New York.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/18_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Crow’s canvas pavilion serves as an outdoor living space, complete with a desk, chair, bed, and even electricity.<br /><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/11_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A tepee in the terraced garden.<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/12_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />A rustic staircase, designed by Crow’s groundskeeper, José Edis Aviles, leads to walking trails that traverse the property.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/10_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />An arching bridge connects the three houses on the estate.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations/19_good_vibrations.jpg" /><br />Aviles also designed and built this palapa overlooking Los Angeles.<br /><br /></div>If you'd like to read the whole article on Sheryl's home just go <a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/2011/03/good_vibrations_article?currentPage=1">here</a>.<br /></div><br /><div class="byline"> <div class="contributors"> <span class="c"><span>Photography by </span>Roger Davies</span> </div></div><br />All images and information from Architectural Digest.<br /></div>

Celebrity Home: Sheryl Crow

One of my favourite design magazines, Architectural Digest, featured Sheryl Crow's home in this month's issue. After not seeing eye ...

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Tiles and Colours in Malibu

This house in Maibu, California, used to belong to Merritt and Rhoda Adamson, whose family started Malibu Potteries. Where better than in their own home to show off their colourful handmade tiles in every room.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_385_xl.jpg" style="width: 501px; height: 625px;" /><br />Even the facade has tiles surrounding the entrance door and the upstairs windows.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_526_xl.jpg" style="width: 501px; height: 626px;" /><br />The grandfather clock stands next to an eclectic tiled table. The lamp and urn are Italian hand-painted earthenware. The blue ceiling and burnished walls, which symbolize sky and earth, echo the natural vista outside.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_483_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br />Down to its intricate fringe, the Persian-style tile "carpet" in the loggia was conceived for the house by William Handley, a designer for Malibu Potteries. The elaborate pattern, which includes more than 670 tiles, was created using cuerda seca glazing.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_476_xl.jpg" style="width: 503px; height: 628px;" /><br />Glass doors with a wrought-iron grille bring light and ocean views to the hall.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_502_xl.jpg" style="width: 414px; height: 516px;" /><br />The baseboard skirting is composed of tiny individual tiles set into a motif that continues up the stairs.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_259_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />The dining room's frescoed ceiling consists of painted, wood-framed plaster panels that echo the rhythm of the floor tile.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_407_xl.jpg" style="width: 501px; height: 626px;" /><br />The kitchen's geometric patterns have been described as Pueblo Deco, in contrast with the Moorish motifs in the rest of the house.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_518_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />The upstairs hall with its ironwork railings and scored oak floor features decorative painting by two Danish artists who spent a year accenting doorways, ceilings, and furniture. The linen closet doors are adorned with trompe l'oeil "carvings."<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_508_xl.jpg" style="width: 499px; height: 623px;" /><br />Viking and Venetian galleys, an ocean liner, and a clipper ship navigate the bright-blue-tiled walls of Merritt Jr.'s bathroom.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_511_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br />A closeup of the bathroom tile.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_520_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br />The Adamsons planted a flowering coral tree outside the bathroom shared by their daughters, Sylvia and Rhoda May.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_321_xl.jpg" style="width: 502px; height: 627px;" /><br />The floral patterns on their Belgian silk bedspreads mimic the tree's red-orange blooms. The bedroom's ceiling was painted by Danish artists, who also decorated the bookcase.<br /></div></div><br /></div><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_504_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br />The Malibu Potteries bathroom tile also takes its inspiration from the flowers just outside the window.<br /></div><br /></div><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_439_xl.jpg" style="width: 502px; height: 627px;" /><br />Each of the home's six bedrooms has its own bathroom, where walls, floors, and even some ceilings are tiled.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_355_xl.jpg" style="width: 501px; height: 626px;" /><br />The Peacock Fountain, just outside the loggia, captures the colours of the Pacific. One tile to the left of the urn was set backward; it's believed to be a deliberate error reflecting the Islamic belief that perfection comes only from God. (Beats me... I can't find it!)<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div></div><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2010Q2//mld105664_0510_463_xl.jpg" style="width: 504px; height: 629px;" /><br />Designed for sunset viewing, the tiled patio features a built-in fireplace for chilly evenings.<br /><br />All images and information from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/">here</a>.

Tiles and Colours in Malibu

This house in Maibu, California, used to belong to Merritt and Rhoda Adamson, whose family started Malibu Potteries. Where better than in ...

Read more »